Faded Glory

That's the name of Wal-Mart's cheaply made and cheaply sold, imported house brand jeans: "Faded Glory." The uber-retailer also now offers Levis.

Well, not Levis exactly, but Levis "Signature" line — a cheaply made and cheaply sold, imported imitation of the classic American-made jeans.

Charles Fishman has the details on this and much more in "The Wal-Mart You Don't Know," which focuses on the devil's bargain that suppliers must agree to in order to see their wares stocked on the shelves of the world's biggest store.

If Levi clothing is a runaway hit at Wal-Mart, that may indeed rescue Levi as a business. But what will have been rescued? The Signature line–it includes clothing for girls, boys, men, and women–is an odd departure for a company whose brand has long been an American icon. Some of the jeans have the look, the fingertip feel, of pricier Levis. But much of the clothing has the look and feel it must have, given its price (around $23 for adult pants): cheap. Cheap and disappointing to find labeled with Levi Strauss's name. And just five days before the cheery profit news, Levi had another announcement: It is closing its last two U.S. factories, both in San Antonio, and laying off more than 2,500 workers, or 21% of its workforce. A company that 22 years ago had 60 clothing plants in the United States–and that was known as one of the most socially reponsible corporations on the planet–will, by 2004, not make any clothes at all. It will just import them.

A moment of silence for the memory of Levis jeans — a former American icon.

Now click on over to Diamond Cut Jeans — union-made in America, classically styled and, thanks to the unique diamond-cut gusset, the "most comfortable" jeans in the world.

UPDATE: Selise points out in comments that to ensure you're getting the union-made Diamond Cut jeans you should use this link: americanunionjeans.com.